Rush’s Alex Lifeson: ‘We’re Basically Done’

Today, Canada, and the rest of the world, weeps. In December of 2015, Rush drummer Neil Peart suggested he had retired, saying it was time to take himself "out of the game." Fans still clung on to hope that this was just in a large scale touring capacity or temporary at most, but it appears the nails have been driven into the coffin. Sadly, Alex Lifeson has come forward saying that the band is "basically done."

The news doesn't come as a shock as there hasn't been much rumbling from the Rush camp about moving forward, other than vague public comments from Geddy Lee and Lifeson that they shared a desire to continue making music together. Speaking to The Globe and Mail, the guitarist admitted, "It's been a little over two years since Rush last toured. We have no plans to tour or record any more. We're basically done. After 41 years, we felt it was enough."

It's another devastating gut-check for rock fans who have been reeling in recent years over the loss of so many legendary acts / musicians either from death or voluntary retirement: Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, David Bowie, Prince, Tom Petty, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington (though Linkin Park's future remains uncertain), Malcolm Young (though AC/DC have yet to make public announcements about their future) just to name a handful. On top of that, Ozzy Osbourne has plotted his own farewell. As far as we know, all three of Rush's members remain in good health, though Neil Peart has battled chronic tendonitis in recent years.

One positive to take from this is that this likely won't be the last we've heard from Lifeson, who said, "I've actually been busier lately than I have been in a while. I'm writing a lot. I'm writing on four or five different little projects. I get these requests to do guitar work with other people. It's really a lot of fun for me. It's low pressure: I get to be as creative as I want to be and I can work a little outside of the box, which is really attractive to me."